Telephone Harassment

Obscene or harassing phone calls are an unwelcome intrusion on your privacy and can be a frightening experience. The Federal Communications Act and many state laws prohibit telephone harassment.

When Does a Phone Call Rise to the Level of Harassment?

Telephone harassment occurs when someone intends to annoy, harass or threaten you by:

Making a telephone continually ring

Making lewd, indecent, or obscene comments, suggestions or requests over the telephone

Making a telephone call where the caller does not identify himself

Making repeated telephone calls where the conversation consists only of harassment

Making a telephone call and using heavy breathing or silence with an intent to intimidate

Just one unwelcome call can be harassing, though a single misdial or "wrong number" call may not rise to the level of harassment. It's a good idea to tell the recipient of such a call that you accidentally misdialed their number. People who commit telephone harassment are subject to fines, prison or both. In many states, telephone harassment is a criminal misdemeanor and can be more serious when a defendant in a criminal case is harassing the victim.

What Other Factors Should I Consider?

The timing the calls, i.e. calls made in the middle of the night are more likely to be harassing

The frequency of the calls

Whether the calls include threats to injure or kidnap

Whether the calls include lewd or obscene language

Are There any Exceptions?

Telephone calls arising out of family disputes, political squabbles and business matters are less likely to be made into criminal matters. A restraining order might be a more appropriate remedy in these situations.

What Should I Do if I Am Receiving Harassing Phone Calls?

If you are a victim of harassment, you should contact the police. You should make a note of the gender of the caller, the description of the caller's voice, the time and date of the call(s), what was said in the call(s), and an estimate of the caller's age. If the police can identify the caller and find sufficient evidence, they will forward the case to the District Attorney's office to prosecute the caller.

Your phone company might be able to assist by tracking down the caller. Phone companies have different policies on the course of action to take when a customer reports that they are receiving harassing phone calls. You should contact the business office of your phone company to find out its policy.

You should contact a lawyer to help determine if the caller's words or actions are obscene or otherwise unlawful. A lawyer can also tell you if you may be entitled to any civil damages for emotional distress.

If you receive a harassing phone call, don't engage in a conversation with the caller or divulge any personal information. Sometimes the caller is seeking a response from you, and not giving a response to the caller can discourage future harassing calls.

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